


Pillars of Destruction

by achorusofsouls



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Endgame has been out for over a year, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, I think anyone who is reading Avengers fanfic in the 2020s probably doesn't need a spoiler warning, POV Second Person, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25178146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/achorusofsouls/pseuds/achorusofsouls
Summary: In the aftermath of the Snap, the Daughter of Thanos and the Merchant of Death begin an unlikely and indispensable friendship.
Kudos: 1





	Pillars of Destruction

**Author's Note:**

> Consider this a pilot for a concept I've been batting around in my head for about a year: a story that explores the potential platonic relationship that could have formed between Tony Stark and Nebula during Avengers: Endgame. My goal is to cover the three weeks they spend on the Benatar, but if you want to see more, please encourage me in the comments.

The winds of Titan whistle through the rubble and debris brought about from the violent clash. You have seen several wastelands like this one during your lifetime, but this is the only one that makes you feel uncomfortable. You don't like it that much, but you have felt numb from the moment Thanos left with the Time Stone. Right now, you will take whatever feelings you can get.

"We were so close...we were so damn close..."

You say nothing. You hang your head low and watch the human who fought your father sit and mourn and despair. He has been like this for several minutes, but his mutterings were getting louder.

"Why did he do it..." The human is looking back to you, his gaze narrow and cold. "Tell me why Quill did it. Why did he let himself lose control at the worst possible time?!"

It is an easy answer. Peter Quill could be so baffling sometimes, but at other times he was annoyingly simple to understand. "Because he loved her."

"So? He couldn't have waited ten seconds to throw a tantrum?"

"Peter Quill is...was a passionate man. He often let his heart control his body before his mind had the chance, for better or worse. But Gamora was special to him...to all of us."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Quill's lucky Thanos killed him, because if he were still here right now-"

" _Enough_." A small ember of rage sparks within your numbed soul. You capture that ember and feed it. "If you can look me in the eye and tell me that you would not have done the same thing if he murdered your lover, or your sibling, or your comrade, then you can insult the memory of Peter Quill as much as you want. But Gamora was my sister. We grew up together under Thanos, we understood the horrors our father would bring with the Infinity Stones, and she would rather have killed herself than to give our father even a single one of them. But she gave herself up regardless. She led Thanos to the stone so he would spare my life, and she died for it! That is what she means to me! What I regret most is that I did not wound my father even a single time, so don't you dare say that it was wrong for us to try and avenge her!"

The human fell silent, staring back at his feet.

You pant and clench your fists, feeling the rage growing hotter in your heart. The more you dwell on it, the more it feels like your fault. As much as you hated serving your father, you still served. You still brought his twisted designs and desires to reality on countless worlds for years. You still played a part in bringing him closer and closer to the moment he could wage war with the entire galaxy and emerge victorious. And even trying to enact justice on the atrocities he inflicted upon yourself and all those other planets ended in a failure worse than you could have ever imagined. Despite fighting so hard against it, you still became a pawn for Thanos. You became a weapon that wounded and defeated Gamora not physically but emotionally. Your sister was dead because of you. Half of the entire universe was dead because of you.

"So...he was your father?"

Your eye twitches once. "Is that all you have to say right now?" You turn your back to the human.

"Maybe. I just...I can't do silence right now. And right now you're literally the only other person on this rock, so you don't have much of a choice."

"I could just leave you here."

"I wouldn't let you, and you know it."

"I don't even know who you are."

"You will."

You sigh and turn towards the human again. His hand is over his chest, and he looks like he's still in pain. If he was willing to try and follow you after all that, regardless of how you felt about it, then he had to be one of the most stubborn people you have ever met. Perhaps more stubborn than...

Another feeling breaks the numbness. Or rather, a memory. Your eyes close. You weren't as close with the rest of the Guardians as you were with your sister, but your paths crossed a few times over the past several years. Sometimes you came upon them when they did not have much to do. In those times, you could find Peter Quill listening to his music, or Drax telling stories to Mantis or anyone else who would listen, or Rocket Raccoon trying to teach Groot something. Other times, they would be in the heat of battle, blasting or slashing away and having _fun_ doing it. You always were amused by their confidence, their courage, and their tenacity. And when the time for them to stand up to your father, they were not afraid. They stared into the face of a Mad Titan and they drew their weapons. They would have done it even if they knew they were doomed to fail.

"So, why do you call him your father?"

Your eyes open. "Excuse me?"

"You don't...you don't look like him. Tall, purple, weird chin, you don't have any of that."

"He...he did not sire me. He took me from my home world when I was barely old enough to remember what it looked like. He did that for all of his children, and under his cruel hand he raised us to become his warriors."

"Well, okay. Okay. So you're adopted, that makes more sense."

"I do not see the point of this conversation."

"Well, I really don't have anything else better to talk about. But if you have any ideas on how to get out of here, I'd love to listen to them."

You sigh again and rise to your feet. He really is a lot like Peter Quill. The key difference is that he appears to be more intelligent. You are not sure if that is better or worse.

"Fine. Come with me. The _Benatar_ should be close."

"The _what_?"

"The _Benatar_. It is what Peter Quill calls his ship. I believe it was named after someone he admired from his home world."

"Wouldn't have been my first choice..."


End file.
